Posts by jschwehm

16

Proposed Goals for AJWRB

by Lee Elder in

jw
friends

perhaps this forum can serve as a place for some serious discussion regarding the direction that ajwrb will take in the coming months.

this document lays out proposed strategy and goals for ajwrb.

we would like you to evaluate the contents and offer your views.

One suggestion that I would add is to hit the JWs when they go into a community to get positive press for themselves. They usually do this in the summer in convention cities. I know in Lincoln, Nebraska they meet every summer and every summer the local paper usually does a positive piece about them.

What we could do, is get the local churches and other civic groups involved in a AJWRB Sponsored Blood Drive. We could explain to the paper that the JWs are not allowed to donate blood under fear of excommunication but they are allowed to accept certain blood fractions so we are donating blood for them. We could also get some anonymous JWs to donate blood who could interview with the local press and tell them about the shunning doctrine. If we do this during the summer conventions in every convention city here in the states and overseas, the Society will have to deal with this issue every time they talk to the press. This would be a Public Relations nightmare for them and I am sure they would get tired of it real quick. For groups like the JWs, image is everything. You can even talk about the child endangerment stuff at the same time. We could have silentlambs' group in on it too.

Just a suggestion...and I would be willing to help at least in Nebraska.

Jeff S.

2

Blood Stories in Omaha Nebraska Newspaper

by hawkaw in

jw
friends

i just thought i would share these stories dealing with a young witness child who has sickle cell amenia with you guys (i think the stories were previously posted on this board and at kent's site).

at the end of each of the stories, you can provide a 1500 character commment that is posted at the newpaper's web site below the story.

i have provided a lot of comments (using the name andrew) on the stories.

jschwehm

Hi-

I live just outside of Lincoln, NE, when these stories ran in the Lincoln Journal Star, I wrote a letter to the editor. They published it a couple of weeks ago.

Last summer, I wrote a letter to the editor that was published because the paper published an interview with the head of the HLC in Omaha that gave the impression that JWs do not shun JWs who accept a blood transfusion. They published that one too. Interestingly, I got a visit from the local elders the week after that letter ran in the paper.

Jeff S.

5

Creative Circumvention of DF Rules

by TMS in

jw
friends

when an organization makes myriad rules regulating every aspect of living, fertile minds devise side-steps, technically non-violations.

as with the complicated u.s. tax code, "loopholes" are found.. two cases in point most can identify with:.

1. no need to sit, if already standing, for a national .

jschwehm

Hi-

I disassociated myself in 1996...I live in Nebraska. My JW parents live in Louisiana. I hardly ever hear from my parents unless someone is sick or they are mad at me about something or my sister makes them feel guilty enough to call. The last time I spoke with my father he was not sure if he should reveal to me that another one of my JW relatives was with child. I guess apostates are not allowed to know that information. The time before that, he scolded me for inviting my sister to my home to visit me during Christmas. I found out later that he offered my poor college student sister $300.00 if she would not come to visit me. Such love between family members can't you feel it? One time when my wife and I went down for a visit, my wife and I met with the family for dinner. There were JWs and non-JWs present. My father offered to let us stay at his home for one night. I thought my mother was going to jump out of her skin when he did that. I am sure that after we left she let him have it for even offering that.

In contrast, my wife's parents who are JWs call my wife who left the JWs with me on a weekly basis. They visit at least once a year. But they keep our status with the organization on the Q.T. with individuals in their congregation so as not to create tension. They would love it if we would move closer to them (they live in Pennsylvania) but they know that it would make it more difficult for them due to JW influence for them to visit their daughter. Of course, I am of the opinion that they believe that my wife cannot think for herself and has been overly influenced by me-the evil one.
They probably pray for us to break up (actually when we first got married they did almost everything they could to break us up.) so that my wife will become a JW again.

Oh well, such love among JW family members.

Jeff S.

19

rutherford

by jurs in

jw
friends

ever since i started questioning wether the truth is really the truth.

i'm apalled at how much information is out there that just shatters the organization.

one intersesting site out of many is jesus-witnesses.com (the seven points of watchtower indoctrination) anyhow i never knew that rutherford smoked cigars and was a notorious alcoholic.

jschwehm

Hi Bill-

If you ever have a conversation with a Bible Student today they will get very upset if you say that Russell started the Jehovah's Witnesses and make it clear to you that it was Rutherford who founded the JWs. In fact, one Bible Student group has a tract that they distribute explaining why Russell is not the founder of the JWs. The Bible Students despise Rutherford. Of course, after reading about all he did to the brethren back then, I cannot say that I blame him.

Jeff S.

P.S. Did you know that Rutherford also had a 6 cylinder cadillac that he used during the depression while JWs were out living in trailers trading his books for food? Rutherford was the stereotypical cult leader.

9

New Book Defending the Watchtower

by Scorpion in

jw
friends

three dissertations on the teachings of jehovah's witnesses by greg stafford.

to be released september 2001, 160 pages paperback.

cost is $12.95.

jschwehm

Hi Uncle Onion-

Stafford also got himself in hot water on H20 when he was dialoguing with AlanF. After one of their discussions, Stafford tried to login as a different user and pretended to be an objective bystander. Using what he thought was an alterego, he commended himself for his great debating technique and pronounced himself the winner of the debates with AlanF. Unknown to him was that there was a way on the old H20 board to tell if someone was using another identity when posting. When Greg Stafford was confronted with his dishonesty, instead of apologizing he claimed he was being persecuted and falsely accused. (Does this sound familiar?)

Jeff S.

6

JW Doctors to administer blood transfusions?

by Focus in

jw
friends

jw doctors to administer blood transfusions?.

1964 - may administer blood transfusions to non-jws - 1964wtwr 11 15 680-3.

focus.

jschwehm

Hi Gang-

If I remember correctly, the JWs used to rationalize that it was okay for a JW health care worker to administer blood based on the scripture in the old testament that allowed the israelites to sell unbled meat to foreigners. Does anyone else remember that?

16

DECEPTIVE JW ELDERS - CASE#3

by Amazing in

jw
friends

deceptive jw elders case#3 .

for there is nothing hid, save that it should be manifested; neither was (anything) made secret, but that it should come to light.

mark 4:22 .

jschwehm

Hi Amazing-

You were talking about how when JWs do run into deceptive practices they often think it is an isolated problem. Of course, when one becomes an elder in multiple congregations or goes to Bethel, one realizes that the deceptive practices are not isolated but are a problem of the system at large and are global.

Many years ago, my family was involved with a Circuit Overseer who was a major tyrant and eventually removed the entire body of elders in the congregation. There were many questionable things that this CO did and his attitude was one of being a tyrant and not a loving shepherd. My parents attributed this to being one bad apple. When I told them that this CO's attitude was quite common among the overseers that I had at Bethel, they did not believe. In addition, they attributed my comments to having a bad attitude about the organization and chip on my shoulder because I did not get the assignment I wanted at Bethel.

Oh well.

Jeff S.

16

DECEPTIVE JW ELDERS - CASE#3

by Amazing in

jw
friends

deceptive jw elders case#3 .

for there is nothing hid, save that it should be manifested; neither was (anything) made secret, but that it should come to light.

mark 4:22 .

jschwehm

Hi Amazing-

If anyone ever doubted how cultish and controlling the JWs really are, all they have to do is read your series of experiences as an elder. The trouble is that most JWs probably will not believe you unless they have experienced it themselves. Oh well, some have to get burned in order to believe that the fire is hot.

Jeff S.

10

A Jehovah's Witness; two people in one skin...

by Abaddon in

jw
friends

the excellent threads started by amazing and jt sum up different aspects of a way of looking at my family i only recently realised that i had developed.. to give background, i walked away in '93 but have retained fairly good relations with my family although i have never had a 'show-down' regarding beliefs, just a few half-hearted fire-fights.. my girlfriend (never a jw) had met them a few times.

a few months ago we went for a meal at their house.

i think that my parents had decided beforehand to 'get her alone', so my dad asked for help with his pc in his office at home.. my mum and my girlfriend were in the living room; i could hear what was going on from where i was.. my mum was basically doing the "it is the truth you know" bit (a jw mind trick; sincere repetiton, eye contact, gesture, head nod... what do they think they are, some kind of jedi??

jschwehm

Hi Abaddon-

Your points are well taken. Steven Hassan talks alot about this in his book "Releasing the Bonds-Empowering People to Think For Themselves". Also, his book "Combatting Cult Mind Control" touches on this some as well.

Jeff S.

23

ARE AVERAGE JWs DECEPTIVE?

by Amazing in

jw
friends

i ask this because on this and other forums that have a large share of former jws, our stated experiences and encounters during and after our jw membership seem to reflect that the wts and its body of believers are most corrupt.

likewise, those never associated who read our posts may get the impression that even visiting a kingdom hall may result in serious negative events.. i believe that it is important to remind everyone that the average jw is a generally good person.

most try to live good lives, act on their beliefs, and promote what they feel is the truth.

jschwehm

Hi Alan-

Your discussions with your folks remind me of the same discussions I had with my parents over the years.

I once sent a list of questions that pointed out problems with certain teachings of the Society. Most of it had to do with the whole 1914 thing and the supposed composite sign. My mother was extremely upset that I would even raise these questions. I begged them to try to answer them for me. My mother would not even discuss it with me over the phone. My father's response was that I was not to send anymore questions like that to my mother. So I asked my father to answer the questions. He told me that he would not even read the questions because all those questions were designed to do was to make the Society look bad. He then told me that I should set up an appointment to meet with the elders and that I was to accept any answer that the elders gave me to those questions and that I "should not give those brothers a hard time."

What was also interesting was the discussion that my wife had with her JW mother one day. My mother-in-law told my wife that she follows the JWs because they are the only ones that teach the Bible correctly. So, I asked her if she believed that anyone, anywhere, could read the Bible and come to understand its message. Her answer was no but that someone had to interpret it for them properly. By this time my head was hurting so bad because of the circles we were going in. She told me that no one can understand the Bible for themselves but the only reason why she follows the JWs was because they were the only ones that teach the Bible correctly. Ouch! I still get dizzy thinking about it.

Jeff S.